The foundation will deposit the money into its $1.1 billion endowment and, per Fields' instructions, use it to fund arts and education in Oregon. The money likely will flow through various other nonprofit and educational entities, ranging from scholarship funds to schools to museums and libraries.

The gift will be a booster shot to the entire nonprofit sector in Oregon. And the timing could not be better.

A week before the foundation's announcement, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon and Portland State University's Institute for Nonprofit Management released the first Oregon Nonprofit Sector Report. The comprehensive survey of Oregon nonprofits showed a network of 10,429 charitable nonprofits serving a diverse range of needs but strained by a deep recession.

The report showed that 60 percent of nonprofits recorded an increase in fundraising in 2011, but that 65 percent had increased demand for services. This trend of demand growing faster than the ability to provide services is the most important issue facing Oregon nonprofits, said Carrie Hoops, executive director of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.

Fields' gift won't close that gap by itself, and it certainly won't make up for all the holes in government safety net programs. But it could inspire others to help out.

"It absolutely spurs additional giving and volunteerism," Hoops said. "It makes people take stock of their own giving."

In particular, she said, it could send a message to aging baby boomers considering plans for their own estates.

Many people can't afford a gift of $100, much less $100 million. Fortunately, the majority of Oregon's nonprofits are fueled not by big checks, but by the willingness of everyday Oregonians to help others.

Of the 22,000 nonprofits in Oregon, only 8,519 of them had paid employees as of 2010. Groups such as Potluck in the Park, which serves meals to the needy every Sunday, fill vital needs using only volunteer workers.

PSU and the nonprofit association hope to issue the report on a regular basis, though details still have to be worked out. We expect the next report to show that Fields' gift and the equally important contributions of thousands of volunteers helped Oregon nonprofits close the gap between needs and resources.